The Walters Art Museum Celebrates Día de los Muertos with New Online Programs and Virtual Community Ofrenda

Thursday, October 29, — The Walters Art Museum invites you to celebrate Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) with the Walters online. Visitors can enjoy conversations with Baltimore’s Latinx community and experience the work of local artisans and performers, including Las Hermanas Gonzalez, Danza de Guadalupana, and Bailes de Mi Tierra.

As in previous years, the Walters Día de los Muertos celebration includes a community ofrenda, created in collaboration with local artist Edgar Reyes. Reyes’ work acknowledges the importance of unity and nature, which is reflected in the marigolds, or cempoalxóchitl, that play a key role in the Día de los Muertos traditions.

“As I continue to understand more about my ancestors and my spiritual connection to plants, I have become aware of the importance of our interconnection with one another and nature,” Reyes said. “Migrants like myself view central Maryland and the surrounding area as our home. Like the monarch butterflies that visit my garden, many of us have traveled thousands of miles in search of a place of refuge. I encourage patrons of the Walters to take a moment to reflect on the positive impact we all can have by being stewards for equality and biodiversity.”

The Walters is collecting contributions to the ofrenda October XX through November 11. Visitors who wish to contribute should email 8×5 inch photos and up to 30 words of remembrance to [email protected].

Along with the ofrenda, visitors can also take part in virtual programs and participate in art-making activities online para todos. The Walters website also includes downloadable coloring pages created by Reyes, videos about artworks in the Ancient Americas collection, and a list of local Hispanic restaurants and businesses that we encourage our visitors to patronize throughout this season and into the future.

“Día de los Muertos is one of our most popular community celebrations and we’re excited to bring together these virtual programs and performances to share with our visitors,” said Kate Burgin, Deputy Director for Engagement and Strategic Initiatives. “The Walters is always proud to collaborate with local Hispanic artists and to share in the arts and culture of our Latinx community.”

Virtual programs for this year’s Día de los Muertos celebration can be found at thewalters.org/events and on the museum’s Facebook and YouTube pages.

This year’s events include:

LIVE! How We Mourn: Death Practices Throughout the Walters Collection
Thursday, October 29
5:30 p.m.

Death and death practices are common themes recurring throughout the Walters collection. Join Jo Briggs, Associate Curator of 18th- and 19th-Century Art, Ellen Hoobler, William B. Ziff, Jr., Associate Curator of Art of the Americas, 1200 BCE–1500 CE, and Lisa Anderson-Zhu, Associate Curator of Art of the Mediterranean, 5000 BCE–300 CE, in a conversation moderated by Keondra Prier, Manager of School Programs, as they discuss cultural approaches to death traditions. Speakers will elaborate on how religious syncretization, the attempt to unite and harmonize differing beliefs, is reflected in objects in the Walters collection and how it has sometimes been used as a means of resistance against colonialist powers. Highlighted objects include ancient Egyptian mummy portraits and Victorian mourning accessories.

LIVE! Artist Talk: Celebrating Traditions with Alejandra Martinez
Friday, October 30
11 a.m.

Join us for a special morning Artist Talk with local entrepreneur, art maker, and cultural ambassador Alejandra Martinez. Alejandra discusses some of her favorite Día de los Muertos traditions and how she celebrates with her family, as well as her creative practice, how she balances work with motherhood, and what motivates her to share her culture.

Art Making – Paper Marigolds
Friday, October 30
4 p.m.

Learn how to make a paper marigold, one of the most vivid and recognizable parts of Día de los Muertos festivities. Marigolds, or cempasúchil in Spanish, play an important role in Día de los Muertos traditions. Register for the live class, or take part by downloading the lesson from our website or watching the accompanying video.

Art-Making: Ofrendas
Saturday, October 31
10 a.m.

Learn how to make a personal ofrenda, or altar. Part of the Día de los Muertos celebration is spending time with the spirits of loved ones by gathering objects that represent them. Register for the live class, or take part by downloading the lesson from our website or watching the accompanying video.

Storytime Cultural Traditions: Día de los Muertos
Saturday, October 31
11 a.m.

Join the Walters, the Enoch Pratt Free Library, and the Baltimore County Public Library as they team up for a special family storytime (K-3rd grade). We’ll read The Day of the Dead / El Día de los Muertos written by Bob Barner and translated by Teresa Mlawer and create artwork inspired by an object in the Walters Ancient Americas collection.

Artist Talk: Dancing and Día de los Muertos
Saturday, October 31
2 p.m.

Join us for a conversation with Carlos Gutierrez and José Reyes about the importance of dance in the celebration of Día de los Muertos. Learn about the history and style of dances performed by their troupes Danza de Guadalupana and Bailes de Mi Tierra. Bonus features: José will share footage from previous performances, and Carlos will share a quick how-to-video! Get ready to turn your living room into a dance studio!

Performance: Las Hermanas Gonzalez
Saturday, October 31
4 p.m.

Briana and Allison, the Gonzalez Sisters, join us for a vocal performance featuring traditional Mexican folk music. The sisters share information about the featured songs and their connections to the Día de los Muertos celebration.

Día de los Muertos celebrations at the Walters are sponsored by PNC.

ABOUT THE WALTERS ART MUSEUM

The Walters Art Museum is a cultural hub in the heart of Baltimore, located in the city’s Mount Vernon neighborhood. The museum’s collection spans more than seven millennia, from 5000 BCE to the 21st century, and encompasses 36,000 objects from around the world. Walking through the museum’s historic buildings, visitors encounter a stunning panorama of thousands of years of art, from romantic 19th-century images of French gardens to mesmerizing Ethiopian icons, richly illuminated Qur’ans and Gospel books, ancient roman sarcophagi, and serene images of the Buddha. Since its founding, the Walters’ mission has been to bring art and people together to create a place where people of every background can be touched by art. As part of this commitment, admission to the museum and special exhibitions is always free.